Eleanor Farjeon
Eleanor Farjeon (ˈfɑrdʒən') (13 February 1881 - 5 June 1965) was an English poet and author of children's stories, and plays, biography, history and satire. Many of her works had charming illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. Life Farjeon was born in London, England, on 13 February, 1881. The daughter Maggie (Jefferson) and popular novelist Benjamin, Eleanor came from a literary family; her 2 younger brothers, Joseph and Herbert Farjeon, also became writers, while the eldest, Harry Farjeon, was a composer. Eleanor, known to the family as "Nellie", was a small, timid child, who had poor eyesight and suffered from ill-health throughout her childhood. She was educated at home, spending much of her time in the attic, surrounded by books. Her father encouraged her writing from the age of 5. She describes her family and childhood in her autobiographical work, A Nursery in the Nineties (1935). Although she lived much of her life among the literary and theatrical circles of London, much of Fargeon's inspiration came from her childhood and from family holidays. A holiday in France in 1907 was to inspire her to create a story of a troubadour, later refashioned as the wandering minstrel of her most famous book, Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard. During World War I, the family moved to Sussex where the landscape, villages and local traditions were to have a profound effect upon her later writing. It was in Sussex that the Martin Pippin stories were eventually to be located. At 18 Farjeon, whose maternal grandfather was American actor Joseph Jefferson, wrote the libretto for an operetta, Floretta, to music by her older brother Harry (who later became a composer and teacher of music). She also collaborated with her youngest brother, Herbert, Shakespearian scholar and dramatic critic. Their productions include Kings and Queens (1932), The Two Bouquets (1938), An Elephant in Arcady (1939), and The Glass Slipper (1944). Farjeon had a wide range of friends with great literary talent including D.H. Lawrence, Walter de la Mare and Robert Frost. For several years she had a close friendship with poet Edward Thomas and his wife. After Thomas's death in April 1917 during the Battle of Arras, she remained close to his wife, Helen. She later published much of their correspondence, and gave a definitive account of their relationship in Edward Thomas: The last four years (1958). After World War I Fargeon earned a living as a poet, journalist and broadcaster. Often published under a pseudonym, Eleanor's poems appeared in The Herald (Tomfool), Punch, Time and Tide (Chimaera), The New Leader (Merry Andrew), Reynolds News (Tomfool), and a number of other periodicals. Her topical work for The Herald, Reynolds News and New Leader was the perhaps the most accomplished of any socialist poet of the 1920s and 30s. Farjeon never married, but had a 30-year friendship with George Earle, an English teacher. After his death in 1949, she had a long friendship with the actor Denys Blakelock, who wrote of it in the book, Eleanor: Portrait of a Farjeon (1966). Writing Farjeon's most widely known work is the popular children's hymn "Morning has Broken", written in 1931 to an old Gaelic tune associated with the Scottish village Bunessan. Her other popular hymn is the Advent carol "People, Look East!", usually sung to an old French melody, and a favourite with children's choirs. "Morning has Broken" is one of the many poems to be found in the anthology Children's Bells under its correct title "A Morning Song (For the First Day of Spring)", published by Oxford University Press in 1957 and bringing together poems from many sources, including the Martin Pippin books. Farjeon had a talent for making history easy and memorable. In poetry that is varied, witty and picturesque, Farjeon presents the saints, the kings, the tyrants and the notable events in forms that fixed them in the minds of the young reader. Her historic poems range from King Priam, who in rhyming couplets begs his son's body from Achilles, and King John being forced by the relentless barons to sign the Magna Carta, to Joseph the carpenter wondering over the future of the little Christ Child that he can hold in the span of his two hands. Farjeon's plays for children, such as those to be found in Granny Gray, were popular for school performances throughout the 1950s and 1960s because they were well within the capabilities of young children to perform and of teachers to direct. Several of the plays have a very large number of small parts, facilitating performance by a class, while others have only 3 or 4 performers and appear to be designed for the children of a single family. Martin Pippin Farjeon's most notable books are Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard (1921) and its sequel, Martin Pippin in the Daisy Field (1937). These books, which had their origins in France when Farjeon was inspired to write about a troubadour, are set in Sussex and include descriptions of real villages and features such as the chalk cliffs and the Long Man of Wilmington. In Apple Orchard, the wandering minstrel Martin Pippin finds a lovelorn ploughman who begs him to visit the orchard where his beloved has been locked in the mill-house with six sworn virgins to guard her. Martin Pippin goes to the rescue and wins the confidence of the young women by telling them love stories. Although ostensibly a children's book, the 6 love stories, which have much the form of Perrault's fairy tales such as Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella, have a depth which is adult in sentiment, and indeed they were written not for a child but for a young soldier, Victor Haslam, who had, like Farjeon, been a close friend of Edward Thomas. Among the stories, themes include the apparent loss of a loved one, betrayal, and the yearning of a woman for whom it appears that love will never come. The sequel, Martin Pippin in the Daisy Field concerns 6 little girls whom Martin entertains while they are making daisy chains. The 6 stories, this time written for children, include Elsie Piddock Skips in her Sleep which has been published separately and is considered the finest of all Farjeon's stories. Also unforgettable is the hilarious adventure of an outrageous liar and failed magician in Tom Cobble and Oonie. Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard is available through the Project Gutenberg link below. The Little Bookroom, a collection of what she considered her best stories, was reprinted in 2003. Recognition During the 1950s Farjeon was awarded 3 major literary prizes: The Carnegie Medal of the Library Association, The Hans Christian Andersen Award and the Regina Medal of the American Catholic Library Association. The prestigious Eleanor Farjeon Award for children's literature is presented annually in her memory by the Children's Book Circle, a society of publishers. Publications Poetry * Pan-Worship, and other poems. London: Elkin Mathews, 1908. *''Dream-Songs for the Beloved. London: Orpheus Press, 1911. *Sonnets and Poems. Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell, 1918. *''Songs for Music, and lyrical poems. London: Selwyn & Blount, 1922. Novels *''The Soul of Kol Nikon''. London: Collins, 1923; New York: Stokes, 1923. *''Hummming Bird: A Novel''. London: M. Joseph, 1936; New York: Stokes, 1937. *''The Fair of St. James: A fantasia''. London: Faber, 1932; New York: Stokes, 1932. *''Brave Old Woman''. London: M. Joseph, 1941. *''Ariadne and the Bull''. London: M. Joseph, 1945. Non-fiction *''Trees. London: B.T. Batsford, 1914. *"Arthur Rackham: The wizard at home". New York: Century, 1914. *''A Nursery in the Nineties (autobiography). London: Gollancz, 1935. *''Portrait of a Family''. New York: Stokes, 1936; London: Parrish, 1950. * Edward Thomas: The Last Four Years. London: Oxford University Press, 1958. (non-fiction) *''The Memoirs of Eleanor Farjeon''. London: Oxford University Press, 1958. Juvenile Verse *''Nursery Rhymes of London Town'' (illustrated by Macdonald Gill). London: Duckworth, 1916. *''All the Way to Alfriston'' (illustrated by Tom Guthrie). London: Morland Press, 1918. *''Nuts and May: A medley for children''. London & Glasgow: Collins, 1926. *''Kings and Queens'' (with Herbert Farjeon; illustrated by Rosalind Thornycroft). London: Gollancz, 1932; New York: Dutton, 1932. *''Sing for Your Supper''. (illustrated by John Morton-Sale & Isobel Morton-Sale). London: M. Joseph, 1938; New York: Stokes, 1938; Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1938. *''Cherrystones'' (illustrated by John Morton-Sale & Isobel Morton-Sale). London: M. Joseph, 1942; Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1942. *''Then There Were Three'' (illustrated by John Morton-Sale & Isobel Morton-Sale). Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1943; London: M. Joseph, 1958. *''Poems for Children''. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1951. *''The Children's Bells: A selection of poems'' (illustrated by Peggy Fortnum). London: Oxford University Press, 1957; New York: H.Z. Walck, 1957. *''Mrs. Malone'' (poem; illustrated by Edward Ardizzone). New York: H.Z. Walck, 1961. *''Invitation to a Mouse, and other poems'' (selected by Annabel Farjeon; illustrated by Antony Maitland). London: Pelham, 1981; London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1983. Plays *''Grannie Gray: Children's plays and games''. London: J.M. Dent, 1939; London: Oxford University Press, 1956. Stories *''Gypsy and Ginger. London: J.M. Dent / New York: Dutton, 1920. *Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard. London: Collins, 1921. *''Tom Cobble (illustrated by M. Dobson). Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell, 1923. *''Mighty Men: Achilles to Julius Caesar, Beowulf to Harold''. Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell, 1924; New York: D. Appleton-Century, 1925. *''Faithful Jenny Dove, and other tales''. London: Collins, 1925. *''Come Christmas'' (illustrated by Rachel Field). London & Glasgow: Collins, 1927; New York: Stokes, 1928; Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1928. *''An Alphabet of Magic'' (illustrated by Margaret Tarrant). London: Medici Society, 1928. *''Kaleidoscope''. London: Collins, 1928; New York: Stokes, 1929 **(illustrated by Edward Ardizzone). London: Oxford University Press, 1963; New York: H.Z. Walck, 1963. *''The Tale of Tom Tiddler''. London: Collins, 1929. *''The Perfect Zoo'' (illustrated by Kathleen Burrell). London: G.G. Harrap, 1929; Philadelphia: David McKay, 1929. *''Tales from Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales'' (illustrated by W. Russel Flint). London: Medici Society, 1930; Boston: C.T. Branford, 1930. * The Old Nurse's Stocking Basket. London: University of London Press, 1931; New York: Stokes, 1931. *''Perkin the Pedlar'' (illustrated by Clare Layton). London: Faber, 1932 **(illustrated by Dodie Masterman). London: Oxford University Press, 1956. *''Ameliaranne's Washing-Day'' (illustrated by Susan Beatrice Pearce). London: G.G. Harrap, 1934; Philadelphia: David McKay, 1934. *''Jim at the Corner, and other stories'' (illustrated by Irene Mountfort). Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell, 1934 **''Jim at the Corner (illustrated by Edward Ardizzone). London: Oxford University Press, 1958.'' *''Italian Peepshow, and other stories'' (illustrated by Irene Mounfort). Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell, 1934 **''Italian Peepshow'' (illustrated by Edward Ardizzone). London: Oxford University Press, 1960; New York: H.Z. Walck, 1960. *''Ten Saints'' (illustrated by Helen Sewell). London & New York: Oxford University Press, 1936. *''Martin Pippin in the Daisy Field'' (illustrated by John Morton-Sale & Isobel Morton-Sale). London: M. Joseph, 1937; New York: Stokes, 1937. *''The Wonders of Herodotus''. London: Nelson, 1937; London & New York: Nelson, 1947. *''One Foot in Fairyland: Sixteen tales''. London: M. Joseph, 1938; New York: Stokes, 1938. *''Magic Casements''. London: Allen & Unwin, 1941. *''A Prayer for Little Things'' (illustrated by Elizabeth Orton Jones). Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1945. *''The Silver Curlew'' (illustrated by Ernest H. Shepherd). London: Oxford University Press, 1953; New York: Viking, 1953. *''The Little Bookroom'' (illustrated by Edward Ardizzone). London & New York: Oxford University Press, 1955. * The Glass Slipper (illustrated by Hugh Stevenson). London: A. Wingate, 1956. *''The New Book of Days''. New York: H.Z. Walck, 1961. *''A Cavalcade of Kings'' (with William Mayne; illustrated by Victor Ambrus). New York: H.Z Walck, 1964. *''A Cavalcade of Queens'' (with William Mayne; illustrated by Victor Ambrus). New York: H.Z Walck, 1965. *''Cats Sleep Anywhere'' (illustrated by Mary Price Jenkins). London: Methuen, 1990 **(illustrated by Jacqueline Wood). Orchard Books, 1992 **(illustrated by Ann Mortimer). New York: HarperCollins, 1996; Auckland, NZ: Godwit, 1996. *''Elsie Piddick Skips in Her Sleep'' (illustrated by Charlotte Voake). London: Walker, 1997; Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 1997. Translated *Carlo Goldoni, The Fan (translated with Herbert Farjeon), in Four Comedies. London: Curwen Press / Cecil Palmer, 1922. Collected editions *''The Eleanor Farjeon Book: A tribute to her life and work, 1881-1965'' (illustrated by Edward Ardizzone). London: Hamish Hamilton, 1966 **published in U.S. as A Book for Eleanor Farjeon: A tribute to her life and work, 1881-1965. New York: H.Z. Walck, 1966. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Eleanor Farjeon, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Aug. 5, 2014. See also *The Dymock poets *List of British poets References External links ;Poems *Eleanor Farjeon at AllPoetry (30 poems) *Eleanor Farjeon at PoemHunter (31 poems) ;Books * * List of Stories by Farjeon * Online version of Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard, with illustrations ;About *Eleanor Farjeon in the Encyclopædia Britannica * Eleanor Farjeon: A Story Writer *Eleanor Farjeon's "Room with a View" Category:1881 births Category:1965 deaths Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism Category:Christian hymnwriters Category:English children's writers Category:English poets Category:English Roman Catholics Category:English socialists Category:English women writers Category:Women poets Category:Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing winners Category:20th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:Children's poets Category:20th-century women writers Category:Dymock poets